>Once The
>Corporation let Wonder and Gaye loose on their own, they produced some
>great albums, no question--but they also produced Here My Dear and The
>Secret Life of Plants, for example
>Cantwell
Wasn't "Here, My Dear" Marvin's alimony "settlement" to his ex-wife? If so,
I could see how he may have been less-than-inspired to create anything more
than a toss-off. Not that it excuses it mind you, but it does make for
interesting context.
>Yeah, the Temptations had the smooth/gritty thing down cold. Really
>polished harmonies backing David Ruffin's gospel shouts, all backed by
>an ace band -- it got no better than this.
>Carl Z.
Though I can't disagree with this assertion, the three-year period following
Ruffin's departure deserves a shout-out. Replacing the
seemingly-irreplacable Ruffin with Dennis Edwards of the Contours ("Do You
Love Me?") was an inspired choice, and made for such classics as "Cloud
Nine," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down,"
and the, ahem, very Stax-influenced "Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your
Love." By the time Eddie Kendricks left in '71, the Temps--and Motown as a
whole, I would say--began to noticeably suffer a drop in their game. But
until then . . . man. It really didn't get much better than that.
Lance . . .
